Thomas Isn't Trusted With the Cake Tin
by Fourteen Hundred Hours
Summary: Mrs Patmore gets a new cake tin, and in turn both Daisy and William lose it. Of course Thomas is behind it.


**This can be read as a stand-alone one shot, but it also ties in with my Downton Abbey/Life on Mars Crossover. I'm not sure what to make of it myself to be honest, but I hope you like it. **

It was going to be a great cake. It had to be, as it was to be served to Lord Grantham and his distinguished guests, including the esteemed Earl of Northumberland. Mrs Patmore had been planning this cake for a week now, deeming it to be the best cake she had ever made. It would end off the evening nicely, she thought, as she finalised the list of ingredients. The only problem was that she needed a new cake tin. She'd put forward her case to Mrs Hughes, who had given in and decided to buy a brand new tin for the kitchen.

The morning before the big dinner, Thomas was sent down to procure the tin. Mrs Patmore had written specific instructions for him, and drilled into his brain the precise dimensions, material and style she needed. Mrs Hughes had given Thomas a warning glance and told him to remember to bring the receipt back; it would be most unfortunate if any money was to be "lost".

He brought the tin back to the house and into the kitchen, but Mrs Patmore had vanished to run some errand or other. Daisy happily took the cake tin off him, and praised him on his skills at finding such a perfect tin. Thomas never tired of being praised by the cook's apprentice, but she did annoy him. He only tolerated her to get to William.

All being said, she was an excellent one to play pranks on. The moment she put the tin down on the table and turned her back, Thomas picked the tin back up. His eyes roaming the room he caught sight of an older, more battered tin hiding in a cupboard, and he swiftly switched the two around. He ran out of the kitchen but remained in hearing distance, just waiting for things to start.

. . . . .

"Daaaiiiissy!" Mrs Patmore hollered at the top of her voice.

"Yes Mrs Patmore?" the girl appeared behind her, wiping her hands nervously on her apron.

"The cake tin… what have you done to it?" Mrs Patmore was staring in dismay at the battered tin lying on the table.

"Nothing Mrs Patmore, honest." Daisy noticed the tin. "It wasn't like that when I put it down, I swear."

"How could it have gone like this?" Mrs Patmore lamented. "Foolish girl! How am I supposed to make a cake in this, this, this thing!"

"I'm sorry Mrs Patmore, really, I don't know what-"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance, Mrs Patmore?" Both cooks turned round to see Mrs Hughes standing behind them. She looked weary- preparing for this dinner was hard enough work without the daily berating Mrs Patmore gave to the luckless Daisy.

"Unless you can find me a new cake tin in the next hour or two, no, I don't think you can be of assistance." Mrs Patmore tended to lose all respect for authority when she got worked up. Only last week she planned on launching a personal vendetta against the Pope, to which Thomas had eagerly, although surprisingly, tried to help with.

Mrs Hughes sighed. "Mrs Patmore, please. Is that not your cake tin there, in that cupboard?" She pointed to where the new tin could just be seen, partly hidden behind the door.

"Of course it's not! Why-… oh." Mrs Patmore went to the cupboard and retrieved the tin.

"Daisy! Why did you put it in the cupboard?"

"Mrs Patmore it probably wasn't Daisy. Most likely one of the maids didn't realise you needed it and so tidied it away."

Daisy nodded feverishly beside her. Mrs Patmore narrowed her eyes. Mrs Hughes sighed, and left. Outside Thomas took a drag of his cigarette and smiled.

. . . . .

Mrs Patmore decided she wanted a guard, to prevent the cake tin from disappearing again. William, who was taking a break from the preparations, was jumped on by Mrs Patmore. She managed to pester him sufficiently and so William sat at the table, staring at the tin, and feeling hard done by. Thomas was in the courtyard watching Daisy finish her chores for Mrs Patmore.

"Here, Thomas, could you give me a hand?" Daisy looked at him hopefully.

Thomas stubbed out his cigarette and shook his head. "I've got to go. I'll ask William though." Already another plan was forming in his head.

"Oh, okay." Daisy looked slightly disappointed.

Thomas headed back to the kitchen and approached William, who was now staring into the distance, looking every now and then back at the cake tin.

"William, I've just passed Daisy in the courtyard. She wants t'know if you can give her a hand." Thomas had come in so quietly that William jumped. Thomas smirked- he always walked as quiet as possible if it meant giving William a shock.

William shot up, and headed out to the courtyard. Thomas, knowing he had only a few minutes, picked up the tin and fled. When William came back there was no sign of the cake tin or Thomas. William didn't even notice, and instead sat back down and resumed his staring into the distance. The first time he noticed the tin was gone was when Mrs Patmore re-entered the kitchen.

"William!" Mrs Patmore exclaimed. "Where is the cake tin?"

William jumped to his feet, looking wildly around him. "It was… there was… I didn't move it!"

"Well who did then?" Mrs Patmore looked incredibly threatening, holding a mixing bowl in one hand and a whisk in the other.

"I don't… Thomas. Thomas was the only one who could have taken it." William came to the conclusion.

"Thomas?" Daisy gasped. "He wouldn't do that, would he Mrs Patmore?"

"Well someone must've moved it! It could've been anyone! How am I going to make the cake now?" Just as before, Mrs Patmore was getting more and more worked up.

"Mrs Patmore- what on earth is going on now?" Just as before, Mrs Hughes intervened before someone got hurt.

"The cake tin has gone again!"

"Did you look in the cupboard?" Mrs Hughes had large amounts of patience, but right now her store was slowly being depleted.

"Of course I looked in the cupboard! I'm hardly going fall for the same thing twice, am I?"

"Well maybe someone- Mrs Patmore, why is there mud on the floor?" Mrs Hughes had noticed trails of mud on the floor of the kitchen.

"I'll find it! I'll go and find it!" William announced, trying desperately to calm down the people around him and not helping in the slightest. He ran out of the room, brushing past Thomas who had just entered.

Thomas took in the mayhem, looked behind at where William had just rushed out, and stared at the mud on the floor. "What's 'appening here then?"

"The cake tin's gone! Again!" Mrs Patmore was on the verge of collapsing. Daisy pulled out a chair and guided her into it. As she sank into the chair Pharaoh, Lord Grantham's dog, padded into the kitchen, trailing more mud with him. Mrs Hughes clapped her hands.

"Out! Come on, out of the kitchen! How'd he get in?" No one knew.

As Mrs Hughes followed the dog out of the kitchen, Branson came rushing in.

"Has anyone seen the dog? It's dug a hole right near the garage." He noticed the mud all over the floor. "I'm guessing Pharaoh's been here?"

"You've just missed him." Daisy replied, as she made Mrs Patmore a cup of tea.

"Only I found this in the hole he was digging." Branson held out a very muddy cake tin. Mrs Patmore gave a strangled gasp.

"My cake tin! Oh, what happened to it?"

"It looks like Pharaoh took it. Honestly Mrs Patmore, try not to blame everything that goes wrong on whoever happens to be around." Mrs Hughes resisted sighing again. It would not do to show just how much everything was getting to her.

"It's okay Mrs Patmore, I'll clean it, and it'll be as good as new, alright?" Daisy was anxiously trying to rouse Mrs Patmore from her depression. "Come on Mrs Patmore, you need to start cooking." Still Mrs Patmore didn't rise from her seat. Daisy looked at Thomas desperately.

"Mrs Patmore, if you don't get up I'm sure Daisy will manage fine cooking for this evening." Thomas said dryly. Daisy's eyes widened in horror, and she started to protest. Luckily, Mrs Patmore was more worried at the prospect of Daisy cooking than the girl herself was.

"No! I'm fine! Daisy, don't just stand there- wash that cake tin! And Thomas! Get out of the kitchen-you're in the way."

Daisy breathed a sigh of relief as Mrs Patmore returned to her old self. Thomas headed out of the kitchen where he found William still frantically searching for the tin.

"Has she found it yet? Do you know where the tin is?" William asked, panic in his eyes.

"No. Maybe you should try the courtyard."

"Right. Courtyard. Thank you." William hurried off, leaving Thomas staring after him, trying not to smirk.

Who knew Mrs Patmore baking a cake could turn out to be so much fun?


End file.
